Dance Styles Decoded: Discover the Rhythms of New Victory Dance 2024

New Victory Dance 2024 is here! From hip-hop and contemporary to the movement traditions of Mexico and Côte d’Ivoire, experience a diversity of dance styles this summer on the New Victory stage. Each program showcases a mixed bill of acclaimed NYC-based dance companies—three per program, nine in total—and features an interactive Talk-Back with the dancers and choreographers.

Did you know that dance broadens kids’ worldviews, increases confidence and builds empathy? Learn more about the different dance styles that are a part of each New Victory Dance program, featuring special insights from the New Victory Teaching Artists who host each program.

Hip-Hop

As seen in Programs B and C!

Hip-hop is a cultural and artistic movement created by African Americans, Caribbean Americans and Latino Americans in the streets of Harlem and the Bronx in New York City. It includes a wide range of styles created in the 1970s and made popular by U.S.-based dance crews, which were featured on TV’s Soul Train and a number of films in the 1980s. It was then that hip-hop went from cultural phenomenon to mainstream recognition! Hip-hop choreography fuses elements of breaking, popping, locking and a host of other styles.

In Program B: Ephrat Asherie Dance
In Program C: Ladies of Hip Hop

Contemporary Dance

As seen in Programs A, B and C!

Originally influenced by classical, modern and jazz dance, contemporary dance integrates elements from a myriad of dance styles. Performers employ movement techniques such as contract and release, floor work, fall and recovery, and improvisation to tell dynamic stories with their bodies. Contemporary dance performers also draw on non-western dance traditions, such as African dance and Japanese contemporary dance.

In Program A: Jerron Herman
In Program B: Barkin/Selissen Project
In Program C: NVA & Guests, GALLIM

Ivorian Traditional Dance

As seen in Program B!

Dance in Côte d’Ivoire (the French translation of “Ivory Coast”) has centuries-long traditions of weaving movement, mask sculpture, costumes, music and percussion to tell stories, honor spirits and build community. In Ivorian traditional dance, the intricate steps and resonant songs serve as a bridge between the spiritual and material worlds.

In Program B: Kotchegna Dance Company

Postmodern Dance

As seen in Program A!

Postmodern dance began in the 1960s in Greenwich Village through experimentation, out-of-the-box thinking and a fair amount of rebellion! Inspired by the idea of dance as performance art, the founders of the postmodern style abandoned traditional dance vocabulary and conventions and opted for absurd and pedestrian movements instead, like falling, walking and crouching. They often challenged the idea of what dance could be by featuring untrained artists and performing in unconventional locations, like beaches or parks.

In Program A: A.I.M by Kyle Abraham

Traditional Mexican Dance

As seen in Program A!

Mexican folkloric dance is the intersection of Indigenous, African and European influences, all blending together to create a rich culture of movement, costume and music. There are 31 different states in Mexico, and each one has their own regional dances and flair. Most dances are typically accompanied by colorful costuming and percussive bands. One of the most popular styles of folkloric dance includes el jarabe tapatío, also known as the Mexican hat dance, which is the national dance of Mexico that centers around traditional romantic courtship.

In Program A: Calpulli Mexican Dance Company

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